Wire-stretcher.



.I. F. COCHRAN. WIRE STRETCHER.

I AFPLlCATl0N FILED APR. 4. I916.

' Patented July 11, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET J. F. COCHRAN.

WIRE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 1916.

(Jwuwwtoz JFGocZ rem,

Patented July 11, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2 J. F. COCHRAN.

WIRE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. I916.

1 ,19 1 ,063. Patehted July 11, 1916.

-3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

JAMES F. COCHRAN, OF JONESBOBO, TENNESSEE.

' WIRE-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1916.

Application filed April 4, 1916. Serial No. 88,930.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, James F. GooHnAN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Jonesboro, in the county of Washlngton and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lV1re- Stretchers, of which'the following is a speci-- fication.

This invention relates to improvements in wire stretchers.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable and economical structure to effectually tighten the Wire from post to 0st. p One of the primary objects of the invention is to produce a structure which prevents displacement of the tightening elements, and to provide special means for providing the essential leverage to act on the tightening elements.

The invention also comprehends improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts which willbe hereinafter described and particularly pointed out intheclaims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 isa perspective view illustrating the invention in use. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same- Fig 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the wire stretcher. Fig. 4 is a section on'the line m-m of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line yfl/ of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective vlew of the wire clamping bars.

The numeral 1, indicates a housingprd vided with central dividing ribs 2, forming two guide-Ways 3-3. Operating in the guide-ways are two'rack bars 4- 1, provided on their inner edges with teeth 5', which mesh with a pinion 6, mounted on a shaft 7 the latter being mounted in upper and lower bars 8 and 9, of a frame 10, which straddles the housing. Mounted rigidly on the shaft 7, between the upper bar 8, of the frame and the top of the housing, is a ratchet wheel 11, and on the upper end of the shaft 7, is a crank 12. -The frame" 10 extends laterally from the housing, and near its opposite outer ends are handle sockets 13, which receive handles 14.- Each handle is provided with a latch 15, the inner end of which is bent to form a locking lug 16, which engages an opening 17 on the inner socket. This is clamped therebetween. .bars 27 and 28, and on opposite sides of affords means for locking the handle in the sockets, as will be readily understood.

Mounted between the bars 8 and 9, of the frame 10, and diametrically disposed, are p voted pawls 18, the free ends of which are bifurcated, as at 19, and straddle the ratchet wheel 11. These pawls are held in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel by springs 19 and to disengage the pawls, cams 20 are mounted between the bars of theframe 10, the cams being mounted on shafts 21, which are bent to form handles 22. The pawlsjjust described, as will appear later on, are for the purpose of rotating the ratchet Wheel in the operation of stretching the wires.

A hold-back;pawl 23 is pivoted at 24 to the housing, and is held in contact with the ratchet wheel bya spring 25. The pawl may be disengaged'from the ratchet wheel by a cam lever 26, also pivoted on the housing,

and so arranged that when in one position .the spring throws the hold-back pawl against the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and when in the other position, disengages the said pawl from the ratchet wheel to permit the latter to be freely rotated for a purpose to be described. 7 a

27 and 28 indicate clamping bars for holding the free ends of the wire to be stretched. On the bar 27 are several eyes 29, and on the bar 28 are hooks 30, which engage the eyes to lock the two bars together when the wire Engaging the same, are two hooks 31, which embrace the rear ends of the bars, and at their forward ends they are provided with eyes 32. Each 1 bar is beveled on its inner surface, as at 33, so that when the'saidtwo bars are brought together, the ends adjacent the hooks and eyes form a clamp, and on the inner faces the bars are provided with alternate clamping strips 33?. The hooks 31' engage the rear ends of the bars,'and in the tightening operation, the tension on the rear of the' bars in conjunction with the hooks and eyes and beveled surfacestendsto create a bite of the bars on the wires, as shown in the drawings.

1 By this construction an effectual clamping of ,the wire is effected and the more the wire is stretched, the greater'will be the clamping action.

One rack bar 4 is provided at its end with an eye 38, and connected to said eye is a chain 39, provided at its free end with two hooks 40, which engage the eyes 32 of the hooks 31. The free end of the companion rack bar 4 is provided with a clevis 32 and attached thereto is a chain 43, which embraces one of the fence posts 44, or an auxiliary post 45, the free end of the chain being passed through the clevis to hold same in the stretching operation. The chain may be attached to one of the fence posts direct in the operation of the stretcher, or I may provide auxiliary means associated with the stretcher, either being applicable in the operation of the improvement. In lieu ofattaching the chain direct to one of the fence posts 44, it may be attached to a post 45, having a cross arm 46 at its upper end. From the cross arm extend two rods 47, the free ends of which are turned inwardly toward each other and pointed, as at 48, to engage in one of the posts to which the wire is to be attached. On the free ends of the rods 47, are-pivoted dogs 49, the ends of which are pointed, the dogs embracing the post to engage the opposite side thereto to cooperate with the pointed ends 48, in gripping the post to hold the auxiliary structure in position. The dogs are bifurcated, as at 52, to embrace the ends of the rods 47, the bifurcated ends having a series of openings 53 to adjust the position of the dogs, according to the size of the post.

In operation, the ends of the wire are extended from one of the posts of the fence and clamped between the clamping bars 27 and 28. The hooks and eyes are engaged to preliminarily clamp the bars, the hooks 31 are engagedbehind the bars, and the hooks 40 on the chains 39 pass through the eyes 32, and chain 43 is passed around one of the fence posts 44, or the post 45, depending upon the use of the auxiliary means. The pawls l8 and 23 are disengaged from the ratchet wheel, and the handle 12 is rotated to take up the slack in the wire and the chains. This preliminary operation having been performed, all the pawls are now engaged with the ratchet wheel, and the handles 14 are grasped by the operator, and through the medium of the pinion and the teeth on the rack bars 4, the wire is stretched, as will be readily understood by reference to the drawings. The wire 'having been stretched sufliciently, it is secured to the post in the usual manner, and the pawls are again disengaged from the ratchet wheel, the hooks released, and the stretcher is advanced, the same operation being performed upon the next stretching operation.

en using the auxiliary means for stretching the wire, the post 45 is set up in line with the fence, the ends of the rods 47 are engaged in the post, the dogs embrace support, means engaging the other rack bar for engaging a clamp, a shaft rotatably mounted in the housing, a pinion on the shaft and engaging the teeth on the rack bars, a ratchet wheel on one end of the shaft, a hold-back pawl pivoted to, the housing, an oscillating frame pivotally mounted on the shaft and straddling the housing and the ratchet wheel, handles on the frame, and pawls on the .frame for engaging the ratchet wheel.

2. A wire stretcher of the class described comprising a housing, parallel guide-ways in the housing, toothed bars operating in the guide-ways in the housing, a shaft mounted in thehousing between the toothed bars, a pinion on the shaft and engaging the teeth of the bars, a ratchet wheel on the shaft, a crank handle on the shaft for manually operating the ratchet wheel and the pinion to oppositely move the toothed bars to preliminarily take up the slack in the wire, an oscillating frame straddling the ratchet wheel and the housing comprising a pair of bars, pawls mounted between the bars and engaging the ratchet wheel, devices for releasing the pawls, handles at the opposite ends of the oscillating frame, a hold-back pawl pivoted Y to the housmg engaging the ratchet wheel, a device for releasing the hold-back pawl, a connection attached to and extending from one of the toothed bars, and a connection attached to and extending from the opposite end of the adjacent toothed bar and adapted to be attached to a support.

3. A wire stretcher of the class described comprising a housing, parallel guide-ways in the housing, toothed bars operating in the guide-ways in the housing, a shaft mounted in the housing between the toothed bars, a pinion on the shaft and engaging the teeth of the bars, a ratchet wheel on the shaft, a crank handle on the shaft for manends of the frame, detachable handles fitting in the sockets, a locking device on each handle and engaging one of the sockets to lock the handle in position on the frame, a holdhack pawl pivoted to the housing engaging the ratchet wheel, a device for releasing the hold-back pawl, a connection attached to and extending from one of the toothed bars, and a connection attached to and extending from the opposite end of the adjacent 10 toothed bar and adapted to be attached to a support.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. COCHRAN. Witnesses:

ELBERT S. DEPEW, JAMES H. ANDERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

